we begin with what has become the un-official post- thanksgiving past-time for many americans: shopping. the black friday doorbuster sales began earlier than ever. yesterday, in fact. but stores were busy with shoppers hunting for deals. holiday sales are expected to increase by about 4% this year, to more than $580 billion, according to the national retail federation. allison worrell kicks off out coverage of retail's big day. >> it's 5:30 in the morning at one of miami's most popular malls, and while it may look tame now, but this is the calm before the black friday shopping storm. >> reporter: from the victoria's secret's pink, to the apple store, people are enthusiastic about buying and it shows. david vaton is on the hunt for an ipad mini and he says when it comes to getting a good deal, sleep is overrated. >> i stayed up the whole night, i did not go to sleep at all. today, so it's been a really long night. >> i got up at 2:00 in the morning. i probably got like five hours of sleep but i'm awkwardly awake right now. >> how much do you expect to save? >> well i just saved 50 bucks